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Kaibab Plateau-North Rim Parkway
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| Departure: | Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona |
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| Destination: | Bright Angel Point, Arizona |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
This drive along the Kaibab Plateau offers scenic views of wildlife and wildflower meadows. There are several historic lodges along the tour and at its end in the Grand Canyon, which acts as an impressive finale to the tour with an inspiring view of Angel Point from the North Rim Lodge. While here take a mule ride down into the canyons and get an ant's viewpoint of this one-of-a-kind natural wonder. Timp and North Timp Viewpoints lie at the end of a scenic drive through stately Ponderosa pines.
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Start: Pipe Spring National Monument
Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Visit Pipe Spring National Monument to visit a spot in the desert where humans have taken advantage of this concentration of plant and animal life for at least 1,000 years. Anasazi and Paiute Indians cultivated crops and gathered seeds, as well as hunted animals in the area. In 1932 it was set aside as a National Monument and here you can learn about the American Indian and pioneer interactions on the western frontier.
Walk through recreated orchards and gardens, and then in the summer month listen to the rangers talk about the plant and animal life in this desert area. Take the half-mile loop trail that switchbacks up the cliffs to get a wonderful view of the Arizona Strip.
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Stop 2: Vermillion Cliffs
Directions from previous place: Start out going east on Pipeline Spring Rd toward Pipe Springs Rd for .1 miles before turning right onto Pipe Springs Rd, drive for another .3 miles, then turn left onto AZ-389 for 13.4 miles.
Turn left onto US-89 and continue to follow US-89 ALT (crossing briefly over into Utah) for 6.8 miles, before taking a right onto US-89 back into Arizona, travel for 70.6 miles. Take a right for .1 miles, then a slight for 1.7 miles, before taking a left for another 3.2 miles to end at Vermillion Cliffs.
Distance from Previous Site: 96.5 miles / 154.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 hour 47 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes As you take a look at the brilliant, water-worn stone at the Vermillion Cliffs, you have a chance to see the endangered California condor flying overhead.
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Stop 3: Jacob Lake
Directions from previous place: Start out going east toward US-89 and drive for 3.5 miles before turning right onto US-89. Drive for 27.8 miles before turning right onto US089 Alt. Continue for 55.3 miles before turning left onto AZ-67, ending at Jacob Lake.
Distance from Previous Site: 86.82 miles / 138.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 hour 56 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour This small village offers a bit of history and the small pond was named after a Mormon missionary and explorer. Jacob Lake Inn provides dining, lodging, gasoline, gift shop, and miscellaneous supplies year-round.
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Stop 4: Kaibab Lodge
Directions from previous place: Continue south on SR 67
Distance from Previous Site: 20 miles / 32.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 25 minutes Enjoy a few hours relaxing or grabbing a bite to eat behind the wooden walls of the Kaibab Lodge to prepare for a day exploring the Grand Canyon.
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Stop 5: North Rim Lodge
Directions from previous place: Continue south on SR 67.
Distance from Previous Site: 44 miles / 70.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes From the North Rim Lodge, you can get a glimpse of the legacy of the forces of nature, in the Grand Canyon's ever beautiful canyons that continue to be shaped by the wind and rain.
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End: Bright Angel Point
Directions from previous place: Start out going north toward NF-758 for .6 miles before turning right onto NF-462, continue on this road for 5.4 miles. Road then turns into NF-641, travel for 1 mile before turning left onto NF-230, travel for 1.4 miles.
Turn right onto Grand Canyon Hwy, and continue to follow the road for 21.5 miles before ending at Bright Angel Point.
Distance from Previous Site: 30.59 miles / 48.9 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 53 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Here pause to take in a tremendous view that will place you on the edge of a vastness of scenery, time and opportunity.
